Gay and Lesbian Activism With a Sense of Humor

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10/06/2008

You know, for years we on the pro-equality side have been looking for locales and people that we can rally as effectively as our socially conservative opposition has been able to do with houses of worship. Well we've now found them: Ellen's daily studio audiences. Hell, this crowd makes a PFLAG rally seem homophobic in comparison.

And good for you, artist formerly known as Elaine Benes, for taking a stand against Prop 8. Props like a Puffy Shirt or a box of Today Sponges are fine and dandy. But Prop 8? No smart script would ever call for such a needless item!

Your thoughts

Have there been any cases where same-sex spouses have been allowed to gain citizenship because they were married? That's one problem I have with that story line. Plus, it's based on a premise that could be seen as an abuse of marriage - not that straights haven't been abusing marriage exactly that same way for probably two centuries.

But, I haven't heard of anyone gaining citizenship through a same-sex marriage. I'm also not sure that the feds would recognize the marriage for immigration purposes. I would think that DOMA would be the sticking point. On the other hand, if anyone had been denied citizenship because of DOMA, I would think the court case would probably result in DOMA being overturned.

Posted by: Dick Mills | Oct 6, 2008 7:01:46 PM

Dick: This point has been raised by several gay activists. My thoughts? I'm giving the writers and the producers the benefit of the doubt. Since it is a season-long plotline, I have a feeling this might be the direction in which they take the story: exploring the inequalities that exist, even within our legal marriages.

Here's what I said on my initial post on the subject:

**UPDATE: It should be noted that some gay activists could not disagree with us more about this. Many people are extremely upset with some of the jokes (Barb being the "guy"), the inaccuracies (Barb would not really have the same immigration protections if married to Christine), and other points. We, however, take a much softer approach and stand by our outlooks.

For one, we actually watch the show and understand that Christine saying stupid things is a major part of the comedy. A big joke of the show is that she she self-identifies as a proud liberal, but often says really stupid shit that belies her sensibility. We also understand that it is a sitcom, with 22 minutes to make comedic points. TV is shorthand, and sometimes every stupid joke cannot be followed by a teachable moment. The audience is sometimes asked to "get" the character and, based on the other characters' reactions, understand that the character's short-sightedness is just that.

And in terms of the inaccuracies involving immigration parity? Well, we gave the show the benefit of the doubt. Since this seems to be a season-long story line, we hope and assume that the ladies will soon realize that they were wrong about Barb's newfound ability to stay in the country. We'll have to wait and see on that.